55Jay

8 hours ago, mlkik said:

With the new requirements for keeping a minimum of 400000 baht in the Thai bank account all year round ,many of us thought it would be the end of agents.

However it seems to have affected the agents in such a way that they are now doing more business as more people prefer to use them than keep the money in a Thai bank.

Yup, that particular "crack down" effort fizzled out. 

My sense is/was the one's using agents for the fraudulent money in the bank procedure, were doing so previously.  Once the dust settled, they'll carry on as normal.

The new gains for the industry probably came from the folks who had been lying at certain embassies to get the (now discontinued) income affadavits.

Those who had the money in the bank for a long time already probably just carried on as normal. 

55 minutes ago, SCOTT FITZGERSLD said:

i guess you miss one word here - OUT.

otherwise, all you say does not make sense

The only thing that won't make sense is the 800k (retirement ext for example) being there, and then it's not. 

As long as you keep things in the loop though, I imagine it'll be just fine.  I can't recall ever seeing an article or report on here where somebody got pulled up for defrauding the system in this manner.  The system itself is rife with fraud and corruption, so it's all good, until it's not.   If it ever came down to a moment of truth, they'll throw your farang a** under the bus in a heartbeat.

So, my answer to your question is Yes, No and Maybe.  But this is Thailand, where if you don't like the answer, keep asking other people until you get the one you like.  It works, until it doesn't.  Good luck in your deliberation on wut two due. 

As long as you can keep all your immigration and related financial business within the corrupt loop - agent, bank official, on-side Immigration Officer - then you'll be ok. 

Problem arises if, for some reason, you get caught outside that bubble.  Pretty good chance to slip out of it though as long as the "right" people get involved.  Trouble is if there's some kind of crackdown in play, those corrupt people you deal aren't going to put their necks on the line. 

Unlikely worst case scenario would be you in a small room being asked very pointed questions to which the interviewers already know the answer.  There's no ambiguity when you're told to show relevant financial accounts and a reasonable money trail.  You can't.  800k was there, then it wasn't, and isn't now.  Where did it come from?  Where did it go?  It unravels rather quickly. 

Lie down with dogs, you're going to get fleas. 

On 10/15/2019 at 11:44 AM, cmsally said:

We have one of those in our area (must be at least 3m) and there are smaller versions (offspring). The large version gave my cat chronic PTSD.

They sure do get long and big.  Had an Oriental Rat Snake version around my house for a few days.  Shoo'ed it away but it came back the next night, staring at my cat that was staring back at it.  Cat 9kg.  Wasn't going swallow that.  Moved on. LOL.

10 hours ago, Pique Dard said:

as far as i'm concerned there is no such thing called a harmless snake:-)

Meh.  It's actually easier to remember the most common venomous snakes you might encounter in your area, than trying to remember the plethora of non-venomous species. 

Like this one, for instance.  Horrible beast, looks like it's about to eat your dog in the garden, but really, you can let this one bite your arm with its tiny, virtually harmless teeth, then wash gently with soap after. 

This was the snake featured in the young Dicaprio film "The Beach", opening scenes in the BKK Bar drinking "cobra" blood. 

The radiated rat snake sure does put on a good show.  Hollywood. ????

Another Krait/Wolf Snake comparison - once you see side-by-side, the Krait's characteristics stand out.

Vince Vega's YT site is nice.  Vids without speaking or voice over.

7 hours ago, onera1961 said:

The country is running out of brothels and farangs are unable to visit brothels, due to strong baht, to oggle young girls for a lifetime chance to marry one 30-years younger than themselves. Now entice them with marijuana. Way to go Thailand. Don't you have any shame for pimping your poor daughters to farangs for marriage for three decades and now trying to pimp them under the influence of a drug? Educate your daughters and stop pimping them in brothels (aka bars) through out the country.

I love when people lecture the entire kingdom of Thailand, on an English language internet chat site.  

OP's last contract assignment was an omen.

Disregard the Rocks and Shoals everyone's been talking about the past year.

9 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

You can see from his latest immature "smarty pants" reply he would be sitting in whatever it is he lives in squealing with delight at getting some attention. I see most of these gutless miserable excuses for a human normally have a little following of loyal hangers on, liking all of their posts. If they get a few other people adding negative comments they all jump in too to put the boot in when it looks like the coast is clear.Chiming in when necessary.  Got a similar thing on another post yesterday. Same atypical type of cretin. Sits on TV everyday just waiting to snipe at people. Obviously nothing better to do. I gave him the same sort of response and he commented why do I post on TV, don't I have any friends lol. I don't know why the mods don't cull these people off the forums. Some of them are just doing the same thing everyday. Never have any knowledge or anything of benefit to add. It can't be good for the long term good of what is generally a great info recourse for all of us.

1

Give them a confused look and say, "No hablo Ingles". 

12 hours ago, thaitero said:

Well, Good to know..

It seems all kind of work around solutions to stay long time are going to be erased and one really has to apply correct visas and extensions and if there is not one, go elsewhere...

Uh, yeah, fktards, that's pretty much what the Thais are trying to tell you.  Duh!

For all you ex-Saudi contract guys, and would be tourists. 

Just now, bbi1 said:

You and your wife didn't both walk up to the immigration desk together but you went 1st while your wife queued then after you got processed your wife walked up next? When I did it that way with the gf the immigration officer asked my gf to also come to the counter and then processed her passport 1st then mine 2nd. This was at Don Meung though.

No, one by one this time, although see others go as a couple/group.  Retired military, got the lobotomy, so when I see a hold short limit line for the queue, and only one set of foot prints on the carpet in front of the I/O's desk, to me, that means one at a time.  That I/O had a stick up her a** about something, probably had little to do with me personally, so I forgot about her quickly, and went looking for our cases.  Whateva....

1 hour ago, donnacha said:

People do sometimes get new passports. Most last only ten years.

The OP said nothing about getting a new passport in order to hide his past visits. He merely mentioned that it was new.

His previous record does not sound that bad to me. He had no overstays. It is not as if he was hiding any denied entries. We are all in big trouble if a new passport and previous stays in Thailand is considered a problem.

In their rush to condemn the OP, and suggest he did something wrong, you all seem to be missing the fact that this was a shakedown. This has been happening with increasing frequency. Airport Immigration Officer now appears to be the dream job for any Thai who aspires to build up a nice collection of hundred dollar bills. It could just as easily happen to any of you.

No, I get that.  And yes, it was a shake down.  End of. 

Doesn't diminish that, from TI's POV, OP started fitting the profile - just another clever farang trying to slip one past us dumb, 3rd world monkeys.  He knew it was possible, and didn't squirm in the net.  "It finally happened".

Good he didn't get uppity.  Might have gotten an attitude adjustment.  TI definitely feeling strong these days.  They've challenged the sacred caucasion cows, regained the initiative and some institutional confidence, and that can manifest itself in  unprofessional conduct. 

I got bitched out by a young, fit, good lookin' female I/O at Swampy last month around midnight, for a minor, and I mean minor, glitch on my Arrival Card.   She stood up, pointing and talking loud, like strict headmaster to an unruly student or Drill Sergeant to a recruit.    What the f?   Yeah, ok, Sarge, so solly, me dumb farang, try harder next time, ok?   She hesitated for just a moment, assessing me up and down, shook her head a bit, and waved me through abruptly.   Wife was next, this was the Thai PP line, that might have had something to do with it. 

This was the second time in a row I'd gotten this kind of unwarranted, <deleted>ty attitude from an I/O - the last was a new I/O at my local TI office over the TM30 nonsense.  Before this, 7 years of benign to rather pleasant experiences with TI. 

Even in the 7 years I've lived here, looking at TVF and watching the trends in these Immigration Threads, I recall getting a new passport used to be Plan A for those with too many in/out stamps, or those who got bounced out and needed a clean slate.  Wasn't it also a fairly standard procedure among "Travellers" who consciously over-stayed, as a way to avoid Immigration enforcement/fines when they did finally leave the country via aiport?  Just report your passport lost/stolen/damaged to the Thai Keystone Cops, get a new one at your embassy, and you're pretty much good to go. 

These things were discussed openly all over the internet for years, including here on TVF.  TI tightened up on these starting a few years ago.

So despite their own failings and corruption, TI has seen you chumps 1,000 times before and sees you coming a mile away, like a zit on a prom queen's nose.  Fresh passport = quick cross-check.  Data match confirms their profiling was bang on, yet again, so they bounce the cheeky J-class farang in the blazer over to secondary inspection for your arrogance.  You play your game.  They play theirs - with an obvious Home Team advantage.

I got a new one because it was on the Immigration checklist, and it "made sense" to my government brain that they would want to ensure I/we were still married if I was requesting an extension based on marriage to a Thai.

In my case, we had to drive through the Amphur town on route to Immigration anyway, so the 15 minutes and 20 Baht spent was an insurance policy against a whimsical I/O who could add 1 more day and a second 100km trip to the process, with a flick of an ink pen.

Often the case, different Immigration Offices, and officers within them, have different ideas.  My office said they wanted it the first time. 

The next year I got another one and was told I could have used the same one from previous year.  Which makes ZERO sense if you're actually meant to demonstrate you're still married/haven't been divorced in the past year. 

So I ignored that "advice" and got a new one every year. 

On 9/19/2019 at 8:30 AM, FredGallaher said:

Yinn, you are more outspoken than many Thai women, but definitely Thai.  Girls in general (inc Thai's ) might me more reserved at first, but watch out. There is a lot of pressure in the bottle once the cork is pulled. 

Thai in public are mostly complacent and don't complain. They are always polite and mostly non critical. But, in private they are different and have deep thoughts. Perhaps the animosity of this forum allows you to say what's really inside.

Most farang don't see this because they don't speak or understand Thai at an adequate level. Most Thais don't have the command of English you have, so discussions are limited. 

This forum is useful in many regards, but is not representative of my views and many others in regard to Thai people and Thailand in general. It's usually the same few that post a lot of garbage. Others that disagree (probably mostly agree with you) get drown out.

Thanks for your needed contributions.

Good comment IMO.  Although I wouldn't agree that Thais are "always" polite, but in broad strokes sure, "mostly" non-critical and compliant, which may be one factor leading to the unhealthy "pressure in a bottle" dynamic you mention.  

When I was learning Thai, and at other times when I was made aware of what others were saying and the context, I was frequently disappointed, which can be a hard pill to swallow at first.  Especially for the Rose-tinted Glasses crowd who work very hard at maintaining a protective delusion that Thailand is an exception to the rules found virtually everywhere else on Earth, and that Thais are child-like homogeneous droids with perma-smiles, and unflappable dispositions, thanks to Buddhism. 

Just now, giddyup said:

Because if you seriously hurt someone it could send you bankrupt.

No, I get it.  Bit of a rhetorical question for OP.

2 hours ago, quandow said:

why continue with the "money in the bank" method?

Do you drive a car here without a license?  The ramifications aren't all that terrible.  At best, you can give a cop a bung on the side of the road and be on your way.  At worst, in an accident, insurance you paid for may not apply.  But, the odds are in your favor, so why bother with a license?  Or insurance for that matter?

8 hours ago, joloit said:

I always compare Immigration with the road traffic in Thailand.

Sorry, but gradually I'm getting the feeling, that they doing all of this nonsense on purpose.

Even that's giving them credit they don't deserve. 

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2019/08/30/immigration-bosses-say-tm30-fix-underway-plead-for-understanding/

Just now, mauGR1 said:

 

Have it ever occurred to you that something like the 10 commandments are just a general directive for a peaceful co-habiting ?

Would you really like it if your money gets stolen, your wife raped, your children killed ?

 

I have not much sympathy for organised cults of any sort, yet i have a hard time understanding the hate.

Like almost everything, religion has a bright and a dark side, is it so difficult to understand that ?

No, it's not difficult to understand at all.  Nor is the fact I was talking to someone else regarding an assertion about genetic propensity, and gave some examples. 

But I do enjoy the crusader's sense of balance and smarmy suggestion that failing to list the good with the bad means the errant commentor must be ignorant that such high-minded concept exist.
 

Back to sipping your "Oh gawd, this is so beneath my level of brilliance" cup of coffee.

Have a nice day.

^ Except for incarcerated prisoners.  Many join a religion for the slight gain in freedoms/movement.  As well as easy points at the parole board.  Again.  Religion = Good Person.  Prisoners get a good laugh at how easy that is.